School Budgets Pass; Consolidation Splits Vote In Chautauqua
Unlike past years where residents in at least one local school district rebel against taxes or spending, every local school district in the 7 Western counties of New York approved their 2009-2010 spending plans Tuesday, while voters in two Chautauqua County districts split on the idea of merging their schools systems to save money.
Voters went to the polls in approx. 75 school districts, approving a statewide average budget increase of 2 percent, with several local districts proposing even smaller ones.
While the failure rate is usually only ten percent or so each year, this is the first one in several years where the approvals have been unanimous.
Most propositions also passed; the exceptions being:
A 577-198 vote against Wilson Central Schools $80,000 plan for a school resource officer,
A 160-131 vote against a contracting plan that allowed Ripley Central Schools to turn to hire schools for certain services
In a non-binding advisory vote, Westfield School District residents rejected the concept of consolidating with Ripley; while Ripley voters embraced the idea. “I recommend that both boards engage their communities and stakeholders in discussions about the future ,” Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Supt. Robert Guiffreda said in a prepared statement.
Billions of dollars in federal economic stimulus grants helped most districts avoid cuts, but the aid ends in two years. Schools get $1.1 billion more, far less than typical increases to school aid, which is now more than $21 billion.
Lower inflation rates also helped districts keep costs low. Typical inflation would have put the 2 percent tax hike closer to the 5 to 7 percent averages of recent years
Statewide, teachers and administrators will get an average raise of 5.6 percent this year, based on labor contracts signed before the recession hit. Labor costs are about 70 percent of a school district's costs.
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